Dan Pink’s new book, Drive brings together 50 years of research, and 25 years of practical experience from companies that have been using these ideas successfully and profitably. He says that economists and psychologists agree: carrots and sticks are only good for a very narrow band of tasks, ones that don’t require creativity. As soon as a creative task is tied to a reward or punishment, it will most likely have a long term negative effect on that task.
These ideas are not new to the world, but it’s the first time anyone has brought them all together in one place and made them easy to understand.